3 Surprising Products That Were Recalled

Posted By
The Gilbert Law Group

Product recalls happen on a pretty regular basis. They are usually the result of a manufacturer discovering a flaw or problem with their product that could lead to a severe injury or create the potential for a lawsuit. Here are 3 of the most surprising recalls you might have missed.

Recall 1: U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission Lapel Pins

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is responsible for monitoring the market for dangerous products. It was formed in 1972 when people were extremely concerned about unsafe toys sending kids to the emergency room. In a strange twist of fate, around 80,000 lapel pins distributed by the CPSC to endorse toy safety had to be recalled. The pins contained too much lead and had sharp edges and clips that presented a possible choking hazard.

Recall 2: Too Cool to Do Drugs Pencils

One of the most unexpected recalls involved a pencil designed to keep children from doing drugs. While Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) has proven to be ineffective, people have continued to make other efforts to keep kids away from dangerous products. In New York, the Bureau for At-Risk Youth distributed No. 2 pencils with the phrase “Too Cool to Do Drugs” inscribed on the side. While the pencils seemed harmless enough, one 10-year-old boy noticed as the pencils were sharpened, the phrase changed. “Too Cool to Do Drugs” morphed into “Cool to Do Drugs,” “Do Drugs,” and eventually just “Drugs.” The pencils were recalled and reprinted in the opposite direction, so the word “drugs” was the first to go.

Recall 3: Dive Sticks

Some people may remember dive sticks fondly. They were as harmless as you can imagine. Their purpose was to throw into a swimming pool so children could dive to retrieve them. Dive sticks were plastic rods shaped like fun sea-themed characters and weighted so they would sink. However, they caused a horrible problem. When kids dove into shallow pools, they were impaled on the sticks. The dive sticks caused serious anal and vaginal penetration requiring surgery. One 6-year-old girl had to be airlifted to hospital, where she needed two hours of surgery after she was impaled on a dive stick in an inflatable pool. More than 19 million dive sticks were recalled in June 1999.